A day after House Democrats released emails that raised new questions about President Donald Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein, Republicans pushed for the release of Epstein’s files.
They privately expect dozens, potentially more than 100, of their colleagues to support the measure, according to five anonymous sources, according to Politico. Meanwhile, Democrats championing the petition have publicly predicted that Republicans will quickly support it once it reaches the floor.
Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he plans to vote for a bill requiring the Justice Department to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, while expressing confidence in the House Oversight Committee’s efforts to release information about the case.
Bacon told MSNBC regarding the discharge petition: “I think it’s a little bit of false hope that it’s going to produce these great results. It still has to work its way through the Senate and the president. But we’re already getting a lot of results.” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) also confirmed he will vote for the measure when it reaches the House floor. In a brief interview, he said: “Sure I would support it, absolutely. Unless there’s a reason not to. I don’t see a reason not to.”
New Epstein emails
According to emails released by Democrats on Wednesday, Jeffrey Epstein suggested Trump was aware of the disgraced financier’s abuse and “spent hours” with one victim at his home, AFP reported. Trump has consistently denied any knowledge of the sexual activities of his former associate, who died by suicide in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial, and accused Democrats of trying to “deflect” from their own failures.
The released emails suggest that the communications indicated that Trump “knew about the girls.”
But controversy has proven difficult for Trump to escape, with Democrats on the House Oversight Committee saying the three newly released emails “raise serious questions about Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes.”
Trump reacts
Trump took to Truth Social and stated, “Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again because they will do anything to distract from how bad they did on the Shutdown and so many other issues.”
Saying that only a very bad or stupid Republican would fall into this trap, he added: “Democrats have cost our country $1.5 trillion with their recent antics about viciously shutting down our country while putting many at risk — and they should pay a fair price.
(With input from agencies)
